China Initiates Clinical Trials for First Homegrown Mpox Vaccine

(MENAFN) China has initiated clinical trials for its first domestically created mpox vaccine, as reported by state media on Wednesday.

This move comes in response to the increasing global worries regarding the virus's spread.

The vaccine was developed by the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products Co. (SIBP), a subsidiary of the China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (Sinopharm).

Phase 1 of the clinical trials is set to take place at the Henan Infection Diseases Hospital, located in Zhengzhou, Henan province, in central China, based on a news agency.

The goal of the initial trial phase is to recruit volunteers who are aged 18 and older from the area. Approval for these clinical trials was granted by China’s National Medical Products Administration in September of the previous year.

In August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new variant of mpox, the clade 1 strain, a public health emergency of international concern due to its fast spread across some African nations.

As of March 30, 2025, the WHO reported 24,177 confirmed cases and 98 deaths from mpox in 23 countries over the past 12 months.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has had the highest number of cases (14,566), and Uganda (4,881) then Burundi (3,725).

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